Star Trek: Picard could have formally come to an finish, however followers are nonetheless not able to say goodbye. Over the course of Season 3, many followers each new and previous fell in love with each legacy characters and the “subsequent era” of The Subsequent Era. And with that fantastically open-ended finale, followers, forged, and creatives alike are calling for Paramount+ to greenlight a Star Trek: Legacy spin-off sequence. Just lately, Trek boss and Picard government producer Alex Kurtzman informed Fox LA that they’ve “heard followers loud and clear,” teasing that “something is feasible” and “there’s clearly extra story to inform.” Whereas Kurtzman’s feedback positively appear to be issues are shifting in the precise path for a Legacy sequence to be added to the thrilling plethora of Star Trek content material on the horizon, nothing has been made official but.
Right here at Collider, we have spoken to a number of forged members who’re all for the thought of a Legacy sequence with Season 3 showrunner Terry Matalas on the helm. Gates McFadden, who performs Beverly Crusher, referred to as the thought “unbelievable,” saying she’d like to see extra adventures along with her “area son.” Ed Speleers’ Jack Crusher was launched early in Season 3 as the key love baby between Beverly and Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and followers swiftly fell in love with the roguish younger hero. Speleers additionally informed Collider that he’d like to play Jack for the following fifteen years. Picard stars LeVar and Mica Burton additionally spoke about eager to proceed with the “subsequent era of The Subsequent Era.” Whereas we definitely hope all the thrill round Star Trek: Legacy locks it in as a certain factor for Paramount+ between now and Star Trek Day (September 8), let’s check out why this sequence would make such an excellent addition to the Star Trek franchise.
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The Captain of the Enterprise Is a Queer Lady With an Iconic Legacy
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Within the Star Trek: Picard sequence finale, Seven of 9 (Jeri Ryan) joins the lengthy line of unbelievable characters who’ve taken up the mantle of Captain of the Enterprise. And he or she breaks new floor in turning into so, by means of Seven would not be the primary lady to command the Enterprise, she could be the primary to take action in her personal sequence, in addition to the primary overtly queer character to command essentially the most esteemed ship in Starfleet. Having joined the sequence as an ex-Borg in Star Trek: Voyager Season 4, Seven of 9 has had an extended and tough journey to find herself and the place she belongs. Each the character and Ryan have greater than paid their dues in Star Trek, it is time that we bought to see her lead her personal sequence — and Seven deserves to get to “write the opening line of [her] legacy.”
With out even counting Seven within the captain’s chair, the bridge of the Enterprise-G is already one of the vital various bridge crews in Star Trek historical past. First Officer Raffi Mussiker (Michelle Hurd) can be queer and Lt. Kova Rin Esmar is non-binary and makes use of they/them pronouns, as does Jin Maley, the actor who performs the sensible Communications Officer. The crew additionally options three Black ladies in Raffi, Helmsman Sidney La Forge (Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut) and Engineer Alandra La Forge (Burton), and each Esmar and Tactical Officer Matthew Arliss Mura (Joseph Lee) are performed by Asian actors, although they’re Hailiian and Bajoran within the sequence.
Star Trek is understood for pushing the boundaries of illustration, but it surely hasn’t at all times been as profitable in doing in order followers would love it to be. So to see so many individuals represented, on the bridge of the enterprise no much less, is a fairly large deal. Whereas all of the at the moment airing Star Trek reveals characteristic extra queer characters and extra individuals of colour than ever earlier than, it is key that we preserve striving for the franchise to create an area the place everybody can see themselves among the many stars.
In 2017, Discovery kicked off a vivid new age of Star Trek and opened doorways for thus many with the primary queer relationship between two most important characters, the primary Black lady within the captain’s chair, and the primary trans character. With that life-changing sequence coming to an finish subsequent 12 months, it will be inspiring to see Legacy step in to maintain making Star Trek a extra progressive, forward-thinking franchise alongside Unusual New Worlds, Decrease Decks, Prodigy, and the lately introduced Starfleet Academy. It might even be an amazing alternative so as to add extra minorities to the writers’ room for the spin-off sequence to ensure these characters are greater than spectacular statistics.
Jack Crusher’s Trial Is Simply Starting
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Whereas Season 3 gave us so much to like with returning characters like Seven and Raffi, in addition to the nostalgic reunion of the Subsequent Era crew, the sequence additionally launched an entire new era of characters for us to fall for. Together with Geordi’s extremely gifted daughters, we additionally bought to know Jack Crusher — a roguish Robin Hood-type character with a coronary heart of gold and a penchant for strolling headfirst into hazard. The son of Starfleet legends, Admirals Picard and Crusher, Jack has so much to reside as much as.
The finale episode of Picard closes out with an finish credit scene that sees Jack unpacking his issues in his quarters on the newly-minted Enterprise-G when he is visited by a mysterious and acquainted being: Q (John de Lancie). Within the scene, Q tells Jack that whereas humanity’s trial could also be over for his father, it is simply starting for him. Q appeared within the first and final episodes of The Subsequent Era, and periodically all through the sequence, to show Picard and his crew a priceless lesson in kind of essentially the most chaotic method potential. This finish credit second queues up infinite potentialities for all of the adventures that Jack and the crew of the Enterprise might get into sooner or later.
Following the Picard finale, Matalas informed Collider that Jack was like “James Bond in Starfleet,” happening to say he has “I’ve 1,001 concepts” for what to do with a Legacy sequence, “so hopefully, the tv fates will permit it to occur.” Speleers is totally on board to hitch Matalas on that experience if Paramount+ offers them the inexperienced mild. He informed Collider, “I might love, genuinely from the underside of my coronary heart, I might like to preserve enjoying Jack Crusher.”
Romance Alternatives Abound Aboard the Enterprise-G
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Hear, I’m a powerful believer that every one good tales are in the end love tales, whether or not that love is platonic, familial, or romantic is as much as the storyteller, however the coronary heart of the very best tales at all times comes again to like. In a strictly romantic sense, Star Trek: Picard Season 3 has already laid the groundwork for some actually spectacular relationships for us to root for on the Enterprise-G. Regardless of being reportedly damaged up for the sake of Starfleet rules, followers are able to see how Seven and Raffi’s relationship evolves in a spin-off sequence. The duo spent the whole thing of Season 2 in a kind of will-they-won’t-they-have-they-already relationship that ended with the primary kiss between two ladies who’re each most important characters in Star Trek. Although their relationship was largely lacking from Season 3 because of a restricted period of time and an extremely jam-packed story, the longer term potential for Seven and Raffi is extraordinarily interesting.
The Captain/First Officer ship has been one of the vital widespread relationship dynamics for the reason that inception of the franchise when followers primarily invented the idea of “delivery” — although the time period would not exist till The X-Recordsdata got here alongside — in studying between the traces and discovering romantic rigidity between Kirk (William Shatner) and Spock (Leonard Nimoy). There’s one thing genuinely irresistible about trying on the chain of command by means of a romantic lens and Star Trek followers have been doing so for many years, first with Kirk and Spock, and later with Voyager’s Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and Chakotay (Robert Beltran), and even Unusual New Worlds’ Pike (Anson Mount) and Una (Rebecca Romijn).
Throughout a Reddit AMA following the sequence finale, when a fan requested if it was potential for Seven and Raffi to be collectively, Matalas stated “it by no means stopped Kirk and Spock.” He later went on to speak concerning the story potential on this relationship, regardless of supposed Starfleet rules, saying “Will this ABSOLUTELY be a narrative you need to inform sooner or later? A narrative a few Captain who loves her First Officer and vice versa? Completely.” He adopted up with a narrative idea that may see Captain Seven having to decide on between Raffi and everybody else:
“Think about a narrative wherein Seven has to make a name that might value Raffi her life on a planet beneath… but it surely’s a name that may save the lives of numerous others. Does Seven make the decision? Does she step down and go attempt to save Raffi and switch command to Jack within the meantime? The entire episode turns into a countdown. I kinda need to write that one proper now.”
Seven and Raffi aren’t the one duo we would wish to see get collectively on the Enterprise both. Picard Season 3 launched a pairing between two of the Subsequent Gen crew’s children in Jack Crusher and Sidney La Forge. In Episode 6, we bought our first trace of flirtation between these two, and with Episode 7 it developed into one thing we positively have to see extra of. Very like one in all Star Trek’s most iconic energy {couples}, Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Troi (Marina Sirtis), Jack was capable of sense Sidney’s ideas and talk along with her telepathically. Whereas there was little time to discover this budding romance in Season 3, It is bought the potential to be the franchise’s subsequent epic sluggish burn. Legacy might additionally ship an entire new era of DaForge shippers with Geordi’s different daughter Alandra and Information’s daughter Soji (Isa Briones), an android character launched in Picard Season 1. Although the characters have not met but on display, it will be an amazing alternative to see Legacy carry again Soji and combine her into the discovered household she was at all times destined to be part of.
‘Star Trek: Legacy’ Might Be a Bridge Between the Previous and the Future
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One of many issues that followers beloved most about Season 3 of Star Trek: Picard was the return of the Subsequent Era forged for one final epic journey collectively. With everybody having made it by means of the finale to proceed “boldly going” for the remainder of their lives, Star Trek: Legacy might simply bridge the previous and the longer term by having any variety of current Star Trek characters pop up for an episode right here and there. Season 3 already featured a number of sudden cameo appearances with the return of Ro Laren (Michelle Forbes), Tuvok (Tim Russ), and extra. A Legacy sequence might see any of the Subsequent Gen crew cease by, with Frakes having already pitched Riker because the Charlie’s Angels-type character that the Enterprise crew can test in with. As Speleers informed Collider, “I really feel that there is a complete plethora of tales to be informed for Jack, which might incorporate nonetheless the Subsequent Gen forged.”
Bringing again legacy characters would not should be restricted to The Subsequent Era both. With Seven in the end a captain in Starfleet, it will be superb to see her reunited with Janeway, the Captain she discovered all of it from, in any case these years. Season 3 additionally closely featured the Changelings, a species particular to Deep Area 9, and followers have been desirous to see somebody from that sequence return to the franchise in live-action for fairly a while.
Whereas the Star Trek universe spans centuries, and the at the moment airing reveals cowl various floor, Legacy matches into a novel area within the timeline. The brand new sequence would have boundless potential in a reasonably unexplored future, with the exceptionally sturdy basis of the reveals from the 80s and 90s, in addition to the chance for crossovers with Decrease Decks and Star Trek: Prodigy.
Whereas we wait to listen to extra on Star Trek: Legacy, you possibly can watch Seasons 1-3 of Picard, in addition to the remainder of the Star Trek catalog, proper now on Paramount+.